Not just a ‘me too’

This week in my local free newspaper, 3 leaflets fell out, all advertising supermarkets. At first, I thought they were just duplicate copies – then I realised they were 3 different brands.  But they all had exactly the same format – an A4 double page spread, plastered with £1 offers and ‘buy one, get one free’ deals. Do they all use the same printers?? How are we supposed to differentiate when they’re all offering the same thing? It’s really important not to be a ‘me too’ and find a way to make what YOU offer more appealing.

This got me thinking … how do I decide which supermarket to go to? I have a choice of 3 within a 6 mile radius, and another couple a bit further afield.

My choice isn’t just about price – they are all competing so heavily on price that I’m pretty convinced that it all evens out in the end. It’s more about the environment, and what I will find when I get there. These are the thoughts that go through my head:

Supermarket A:  Convenient but the car park is dismal, and you have to have the right change. The store always looks uncared for. They usually have what I want.

Supermarket B:  Easy parking, not a very good choice of fruit and veg, they often don’t have the brands I want, but the checkout staff are friendly.

Supermarket C: Have lovely staff, everything always looks attractive and well presented, but I usually spend more buying things I don’t need because they look enticing.

Supermarket D:  Massive and impersonal. Great for stocking up on cheap toys and homewares, although the food selection is not ideal.

My choice is influenced by my mood, what I need, and my schedule. So if supermarket A wanted more of my business, they would need to smarten up the store and abolish the pay and display car parking. If supermarket B would like to see more of me, they would need to improve their fruit and veg selection and stock up on the brands I like.

All the flyers offering the same deals are just ‘noise’.  They might drive me to a store once, but it’s the experience when I get there that determines whether I’ll go back again.

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